My good friends at the Connecticut chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) wanted me to help plug a LEED® program they are hosting next week. If you are an architect, engineer, interior designer, construction manager or just a person who’s interested in green building, this program might be for you and it’s way affordable.

Green building is widely-recognized as valuable strategy to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, scientific evidence clearly suggests that the Earth’s climate will continue to change even under the most aggressive emission reduction scenarios. The decisions we make about how to design, build, and operate built environments have important consequences and will determine the severity of climate impacts. Join the USGBC Research Department and expert panelists as they discuss the application of practical green building and urban design strategies to prepare for changing conditions. This session will provide an understanding of what decision makers at different scales can do to build resilience and reduce the potential for negative outcomes.  

LEED 255 Climate Adaptation & the Built Environment is an archived webinar of the US GBC. The session is next Thursday, October 4, at Perkins Eastman’s Stamford, CT office.  It begins at 6:30 pm and can only be viewed in person at this location.    
 
This program is approved for 1.5 hours of General (Not LEED Specific) GBCI hours as well as 1.5 AIA/CES LU/HSW hours.  This is a CTGBC sponsored viewing of. 

The cost is $15 for CTGBC members and $25 for non-CTGBC members. Light refreshements will be served. To find out more about the event, visit the CTGBC website.  If you have questions, send an email to a.stark@perkinseastman.com

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New Haven, Conn. – Last week, with Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, DEEP Commissioner Daniel Esty, community leaders and solar industry representatives on-hand, IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its store in New Haven, Connecticut – the state’s largest such photovoltaic array. The 118,000-square-foot PV array consists of a 940.8-kW system, built with 3,920 panels. IKEA New Haven’s program will produce approximately 1,099,800 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 836 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 149 cars or powering 95 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html).

This installation represents the 32nd completed solar project for IKEA in the U.S., with seven more locations underway, making the eventual U.S. solar presence of IKEA nearly 89% of its U.S. locations with a total generation of 38 MW. IKEA owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement) – and globally has allocated €590 million to invest in renewable energy, focusing on solar and wind during the coming three years. This investment reinforces the long-term commitment of IKEA to sustainability and confidence in photovoltaic (PV) technology. More than 250,000 solar panels have been installed on IKEA stores and buildings across the world. The company also owns and/or operates approximately 110 wind turbines in Europe.

For the development, design and installation of the New Haven store’s customized solar power system, IKEA contracted with Gehrlicher Solar America Corp., part of Gehrlicher AG, one of the world’s ten largest independent PV project developers and system integrators.

“Our mission is to create a better everyday life for the many people, and at IKEA New Haven, we just added to this effort,” said Gail Franc, store manager. “A solar energy system will help reduce the store’s carbon footprint and represents another investment toward our future in this community. We appreciate the continued support of the City of New Haven, United Illuminating, and Gehrlicher Solar, our partners in this project.”

IKEA, drawing from its Swedish heritage and respect of nature, believes it can be a good business while doing good business and aims to minimize impacts on the environment. Globally, IKEA evaluates locations regularly for conservation opportunities, integrates innovative materials into product design, works to maintain sustainable resources, and flat-packs goods for efficient distribution. Specific U.S. sustainable efforts include: recycling waste material; incorporating environmental measures into the actual buildings with energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, skylights in warehouse areas, and water-conserving restrooms; and operationally, eliminating plastic bags from the check-out process, phasing-out the sale of incandescent light bulbs and facilitating recycling of customers’ compact fluorescent bulbs. IKEA has installed electric vehicle charging stations at nine stores in the Western U.S.

Located on 20 acres at the I-95/I-91 interchange, the 311,000-s.f. IKEA New Haven opened July 2004. In addition to 10,000 exclusively designed items, this IKEA store presents 48 different room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 350-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon plates, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the Showroom, baby care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store.

Source: IKEA Press Release

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Hartford, Conn. -  According to an article in the Hartford Business Journal, New Haven electric utility United Illuminating (UI) has picked 19 solar projects and two fuel cell projects for funding in the first year of the state’s $1 billion program to promote renewable-energy installations statewide.

UI and Berlin electric utility Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) are administering Connecticut’s Zero Emissions and Low Emissions Renewable Energy Credit program – better known as ZREC/LREC. The two utilities have been narrowing down about 400 applicants since June, trying to pick the most realistic projects with the money available this first year.

For ZREC technologies such as solar, wind, and hydro, the utilities will enter into $8 million worth of 15-year contracts annually for six years. For LRECs, such as fuel cells and biomass, the utilities will enter into $4 million worth of 15-year contracts annually for five years.

CL&P is awarding 80 percent of the money, while UI awards 20 percent through ratepayer funds.

In its procurement plan filing with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on Tuesday, UI said it plans to contract with six large-size and 13 medium-size solar projects for its ZRECs and two fuel cell projects for its LRECs.

The identities of the recipients remained confidential in the PURA filing, although they may be made public during the regulatory process.

The program is open to all clean technologies, but solar and fuel cells have natural advantages. Solar without incentives is priced significantly lower than other ZREC-eligible technologies. Fuel cells generate a constant stream of electricity, plus the technology receives a discount in the LREC program since the fuel cells are manufactured in Connecticut at UTC Power in South Windsor and at FuelCell Energy Inc.’s Torrington facility.

CL&P has not filed its procurement plan yet, despite its self-imposed deadline of Tuesday.

Under confidentiality agreements with PURA, neither UI nor CL&P will disclose the recipients of the ZRECs and LRECs at the time of the filing. PURA must still approve each utilities procurement plan.

Connecticut’s method for awarding these credits – which the projects receive for the power produced – differs from similar programs in other states. Connecticut requires the utilities to competitively bid the awards to contain the cost of the ZRECs and LRECs while maximizing the number of projects funded from the limited pool of money each year.

UI will pay $117 per credit for the large solar projects, $135 for the medium solar projects, and $51 for the fuel cells. Similar programs for solar technology in Massachusetts and Maryland pay about $200 per credit.

After PURA approves UI’s procurement plan, the utility plans to launch a separate ZREC program for small projects of 100 kilowatts or less to be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The price of those credits is anticipated at $149.

The bulk of the clean electricity generated from UI’s selections will come from the two fuel cells. Those two projects will produce 9,561 credits compared to the 8,317 credits produced from the 19 solar projects. The difference is fuel cells run 24 hours a day while solar installations produce electricity only when collecting sunlight.

UI still has $311,640 left in its funding for the LREC program this year, but that is not enough to award a third fuel cell project in that category.

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Farmington, Conn. – According to a company press release, Horizon Technology Finance Corporation, a leading specialty finance company that provides secured loans to venture capital and private equity backed development-stage companies in the technology, life sciences, healthcare information and services, and clean-tech industries, has announced that it has closed a $7 million venture loan to SolarBridge Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of integrated photovoltaic microinverter solutions. The proceeds of the venture loan will be used to support the company’s growth and expansion.

Gerald A. Michaud, President of Farmington, CT-based Horizon, stated, “We are delighted to support SolarBridge’s continued growth with a $7 million venture loan. SolarBridge is an exciting company whose products are helping pave the way for the widespread adoption of solar power in the residential and commercial markets. With our growth capital and SolarBridge’s recent equity financing, SolarBridge will be able to ramp production of its innovative microinverters and advance its development of new products.”

Ron Van Dell, President and CEO of SolarBridge, stated, “We value our new partnership with Horizon and appreciate its confidence in our advanced technology and growth prospects. Horizon’s experienced team of professionals provided an efficient and timely closing of our debt financing. With this boost to our liquidity, we can continue to address the need for cost-effective renewable energy and expand our business.”

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By Michael Ciocca, Total Mortgage Services, Milford, CT

Total Mortgage Services recently put together a guide for Green Mortgages. This type of mortgage allows a homeowner to finance energy saving upgrades to their home. It is a service that is not well known, but one that could make a huge impact on energy usage if more people knew about it.

Given today’s rising energy costs, most people are looking for a way to cut their utility bills. In addition to saving money, being more energy efficient helps to reduce the impact that homeowners have on the environment.

Did you know that you can get a mortgage that helps you to be energy efficient and reduce your environmental footprint? Most people are unaware of it, but the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEM) that will allow you to finance the cost of energy efficient upgrades to your home. The Veteran’s Administration also offers EEMs, and some lenders offer conventional EEMs. These green mortgages allow homeowners to save money while being environmentally conscious.

This program gives new or current homeowners the opportunity to upgrade their home while making a single mortgage payment. These mortgages are separate from your primary mortgage, but rolled into your current monthly payments. Unlike a second mortgage, with an EEM there is no additional lien on your property.

These are just some of the upgrades that you may be able to make with an EEM:

• Replacing or upgrading a heating or air conditioning system
• Additional/new insulation for your home Installation of new doors or windows
• Weatherizing your home Solar technologies such as solar panels for electricity or passive solar technologies such as solar hot water heating
• Green roofing technologies, such as a living roof

In order to get an EEM, you first need to qualify for a regular mortgage (either through the FHA, VA, or a traditional lender that offers EEMs). Once you have qualified, you can have efficiency professional come to your house and run an audit to see how efficient your home is, and how it can be improved (these audits are often referred to as a Home Energy Rating System or HERS report). You can finance the cost of the audit as part of the EEM. From this point, you would contact your lender in order to find out how large an EEM you may be able to qualify for (the maximum size of the loan varies depending upon your lending source, but it usually falls between 5-15% of the value of the home). Then you can consult with the auditor to find out which upgrades will give you the most bang for your buck given your budget.

EEMs offer something for both the cost-conscious and environmentally-conscious homeowners. If you’ve been putting off upgrading your home because you don’t have the money, the EEM is an excellent option. Given the low cost of financing, now is an excellent time to look into getting a green mortgage.

You can see the guide here: http://www.totalmortgage.com/total-guide/energy-efficient-mortgage.asp

Michael Ciocca is an author for the Total Mortgage Blog. Total Mortgage is an online lender offering some of the lowest mortgage rates in the U.S.

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Hartford, Conn. – According to the Hartford Business Journal, South Windsor, CT-based fuel cell manufacturer UTC Power has announced it will install six of its fuel cells at two CBS Studios production locations in California.

Three of the units will be installed at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, Calif. while the other three will be at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. The studios produce shows such as Dancing with the Stars, The Price is Right, CSI: NY, American Idol and NCIS.

While the cost of the contract was not disclosed, six fuel cells can cost in excess of $15 million before any state credits for renewable energy. Fuel cells essentially are giant batteries that create electricity through an electromagnetic process using natural gas.

The six fuel cells will provide 2.4 megawatts of power, providing 40 and 60 percent of the two CBS studios’ electricity requirements. The units will be delivered later this year.

The CBS project is supported by the California Self-Generation Incentive Program.

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